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It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
There's Christmas, New Year's Day, the end of the NFL regular season and the College Football Playoff.
Today, we will highlight five 2024 NFL Draft prospects in the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl who could be the first players drafted at their position in April.
Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
One of the more fascinating position battles in the 2024 NFL Draft is the defensive end (or EDGE) position. The race is between UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, Alabama’s Dallas Turner, Florida State’s Jared Verse, Washington’s Bralen Trice and Penn State’s Chop Robinson.
With no real consensus at the top, Turner has a prime opportunity to separate himself from the pack with a dominant showing in the college football playoff. He'll face some tough matchups against Michigan, and the championship matchups for the Alabama edge rusher won’t get any easier if his team wins this weekend.
The 6-foot-4, 242-pound junior is coming off a dominant season in Tuscaloosa. He finished with 10 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 32 hurries. An impressive showing on the national stage could have Turner separate himself from others competing for the EDGE1 title.
Troy Fautanu, iOL, Washington
It’s no secret how loaded the offensive tackle class is. That cannot be said for the interior offensive line class. Washington’s Troy Fautanu is one of the class' top interior offensive linemen and can prove he's the top IOL with an impressive Sugar Bowl showing.
Fautanu, a two-year starter at left tackle, could move inside due to his lack of length and concerns with his footwork and mirroring skills. Despite some limitations, the Washington left tackle is a fluid athlete who moves well in space. He also plays with impressive strength and hands as a pass protector and run blocker.
Fautanu could stay at tackle and still be serviceable. However, his ceiling instantly rises with a move inside — he can play more in a box to limit some of his mirroring issues. With this class' lack of top-end IOL, Fautanu could make himself some money with a nice outing against Texas.
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The closer we get to the draft, the more we hear about how Terrion Arnold could be the first corner drafted. Similar to at EDGE, there’s no real consensus at the top of the cornerback board. Arnold, Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Cooper DeJean are all making a case to wear that crown.
The rise of Arnold’s CB1 hype comes off a five-interception season. He possesses some of the best ball skills and production in this class. As a result, many NFL evaluators are starting to value him instead of better cover players.
Arnold is susceptible to giving up the big play. He needs to play with better eye discipline and instincts this weekend against a Michigan offense that can be difficult to defend when in a rhythm.
Arnold will likely see snaps against Michigan WR Roman Wilson, who should be a top-100 pick. If Arnold can limit Wilson's big plays and create ball production against J.J. McCarthy, Arnold's hype train will head to new heights.
JC Latham, OT, Alabama
One of the more interesting things about this offensive tackle class is how many true left tackles and true right tackles there are.
JC Latham is one of the many true right tackles. He has played his last two seasons at right tackle; he had 135 snaps in 2021 at right guard.
Latham is a monster for the Crimson Tide at 6-foot-6, 335 pounds. For such a large specimen, he's a relatively fluid mover in the running game and can mirror well in pass protection.
He will draw some tough matchups this weekend in the Rose Bowl. That will give NFL evaluators plenty to study in the next few months to determine who will win the RT race between Latham, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton.
Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Let me start by saying that I don't think Rome Odunze will unseat Marvin Harrison Jr. as the WR1 in the draft.
I will say that we shouldn’t be surprised if a team early in the draft values Odunze’s skill set more than Harrison's. As good as Harrison is, as we get closer to draft day, Odunze is on the same tier.
Odunze’s route running, fluidity, contested catch ability and YAC prowess make him a top-three receiver in this loaded wide receiver draft class. However, Odunze will likely not test quite as well as Harrison and Malik Nabers.
Still, the traits Odunze possesses and the tape he’s put together in the last two seasons could make this wide receiver evaluation a lot closer than many expect.
In recent years, we've seen how dominant college playoff stretches can separate closely ranked players who aren't playing late in the season. Don’t be shocked if Odunze makes a big jump if he can dominate Texas and the winner of Alabama/Michigan, if Washington wins on New Year’s Day.
More must-reads:
- Extension for Jared Goff could set the Lions up for major failure
- Chargers sign veteran edge-rusher
- The 'NFL MVP runners-up' quiz
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